Perhaps the greatest tale of all regarding Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks is not that he is driving the lane, or leading his team with the correct plays, or knocking down game-winning shots from behind the arc, or even that he is of Asian descent.

The fact is no one in the NBA had seen his potential.

And, by the time they did, it was too late.

All of a sudden, he was taking the game to them and, with the newly energized Knicks, showing that he could play with the best of them.
Lin, a Harvard hoopster and graduate and an undrafted NBA player, had been waived by two teams this pre-season (Dec. 9 by San Francisco and Dec. 24 by Houston) and he was evidently heading out of New York’s Madison Square Garden until he got his chance, due to team injuries, particularly Carmelo Anthony’s goin injury on February 6.

Lin certainly made the best of it on February 7…and since.

Perhaps teammate Tyson Chandler said it best, “You don’t see this coming. Undrafted, gets cut from Golden State, cut in Houston, and probably days away from being cut by the New York Knicks. And then all of a sudden … ”

What the media and people refer to as “Linsanity” has captured not just New York, but also cities where the Knicks arrive.

Photo: blogs.mercurynews.com

Witness that the only sellout crowds this season for the latest victims, Minnesota and Toronto, came with Lin’s appearance in their fair city. On game day, Toronto’s major daily newspaper carried Lin on the front cover.

And, despite all the cheers and raves he receives, Lin stays focused on the team and his teammates.

Will New York’s and Lin’s winning ways continue, especially when Anthony returns? That is hard to say. The Knicks paid dearly for ‘Melo to join them last year.

It may take some time for ‘Melo and Lin to get their groove when he returns, similar to the Heat and what their Big 3 (Wade, James and Bosh) discovered in 2011.

Until some unkown time in the future, New York is very much enjoying the ride.